Synth Single Review: “TAC 2 ME” by Sonic Gap

by Karl Magi

Sonic Gap's “TAC 2 ME” shimmers with 8-bit iridescence as cascading computerized tones descend and a bassline with fat density gives a groovy underlayer to the sharply clean, technological notes that sparkle brilliantly. Electric luminescence spreads underneath the cutting sharpness of the elevated synth that generates a starry sheen.

Bouncing with irrepressible, unending energy, the low end propels the jingling tones that evoke excitement and the youthful thrill of your first computer game. The foundation is full of slicing dynamism while interlocking high notes broadcast a fountain of glittering energy.

Notes spread as the shimmying, robotic rhythm shifts and images of a world full of retrofuturistic potential and thrilling possibilities flow from the melodic line. A funky beat takes the track to its end, with the piercing tones contrasting against a richer flow spreading out around them.

Synth Single Review: “Stargazing” by Aeronexus & Jana Tyrrell

by Karl Magi

Aeronexus & Jana Tyrrell's “Stargazing” reflects the fading twilight and the slow emergence of the stars with a sense of sacred calm before Jana Tyrrell's widely expanding vocals capture hope and dreams while the rebounding drums generate energy with their leaping power.

The vocals carry images of resilience and positivity in the face of a cynical worldview while the notes in the distance give the impression of spilling galactic brightness. Detailed tones shimmer with a halo of light while Jana Tyrrell's vocals fly with encouragement and excitement for future potential. As weightless sounds move with a feeling of hushed tenderness, the background flows with lush warmth and wraps all around me.

All of the words carried by Jana Tyrrell's heart-filling voice move right into me and inspire me with their uplifting strength. After an explosion of rhythm, Aeronexus' classic panpipe synth sings with blue tranquility and abiding peacefulness before the song comes to a close.

Considering her path forward, our storyteller looks up at the night sky and contemplates the future for herself and the song's subject. She asks them, "Did you know you could fit a million Earths inside the sun?" and points out that even the stars can die, so what is the significance of our fleeting lives?

The narrator questions how they can know if they're doing anything right and if she and the song's subject will still know each other in ten years. These questions are the "unknowns of the future crashing in my mind." She wants someone to take her hand and guide her to the right path because "I'm stumbling in the dark to no real end."

Referring to herself and the song's subject, our storyteller says, "We are stars in each other's sky, a constellation map of life." She doesn't mean to be cynical, but she's gained perspective over the years. In spite of this cynicism, she still believes that "maybe we can shape shift, be moulded and realigned," as she points out, "Who knows how bright we can really shine."

As the song concludes, the song's subject asks the narrator if there are too many things occupying her mind and reminds her that, "You gotta let go and see, we're stargazing tonight."

Synth Single Review: "When I Was Me" by GMNI88

by Karl Magi

GMNI88's "When I Was Me" drifts with cobweb delicacy as trembling weight joins brilliant light and GMNI88's voice flows with remembrance and passionate trembling, while the drums add more shape. Flourishing percussion launches GMNI88's earnest and emotionally honest performance as he carries a yearning melody, painting images of youth and the complexity of growing up.

As the percussive force keeps the beat, hushed tenderness permeates GMNI88's voice, driving home the power of his lyrics. All of the synth sounds wash with irradiating light, and the past pain flows into the song from the well-crafted words. 

The song glides into a floating segment in which affection and a hint of bereft emotion are tinged with cosmic light before the rebounding underpinnings move again and GMNI88 reaches for my heart. The song closes with impassioned feeling and intensity as the delicate background mingles with the gripping vocals.

As our storyteller muses that perhaps he was the closest to being free when he was himself, he wonders if "maybe I forgot how to be while I was me." He feels that he's rushed through life and "burned through the days that I had," but as he looks back, he realizes you can't begin without an ending. Unable to find his dreams from the past, he adds that "this life has got a hold of me," and he wonders where he'd be when he was himself.

Watching TV was his "soul escape when times were tough and I could break," as he committed all of the ending scenes of "Technicolor broken dreams" to his memory and watched the '80s unfold on the screen in order to "feel a world unseen that faded into static blur and left the person that we were." He believed that he knew a better way and "couldn't wait to leave and stray."

"The world was framed outside my door, I thought that there was something more," and he wouldn't doubt his delicate hope before the credits came to an end. He adds that "the broken years have made me cold, a tarnished story to be told," pointing out that every one of his scars makes everything seem surreal. He concludes, "There's nothing left for us to fear, no wasted time left to disappear."

Synth Single Review: “Digitalis” by SUNESIS

by Karl Magi

SUNESIS' “Digitalis” slips into existence with a single breath of organic sound, generating sensations of peace and nature, backed by a worshipful choir as bells contribute their warm luminosity. A beat with a steady pulse creates guidance, while notes with sparkling tones paint images of sunlight dappled on leaves and the world at peace.

Remembrance is sparked in me by the easy sonic flow, capturing the calm of a winter day or the serenity of a summer evening. Ringing with metallic elegance, bell-like tones carry a pattern of enfolding, deeply peaceful emotion that wraps me up in a velvet blanket. 

As the steady drums throb, a voice sings wordlessly with humanity and tenderness before the steady percussion slows as hollow bells create crystalline radiance and evoke the beauty and wonder of existence on Earth. SUNESIS has woven a tapestry that honours people and nature with memory and experience.